garden

Friday Flower – Electric pink dahlia

~ laura lecce ~ 8 Comments
Electric Pink Dahlia – Photograph by Laura Lecce

I think it’s about time for another dahlia. The huge variety in these flowers ensures that they always get my attention. This stunning pink flower is made even more impressive against the dark green leaves of the plant. The layers of petals are carefully arranged to expose just a hint of deep yellow in the center of the flower. With every day, new petals are developing and the flower continues a seductive undress for all the insects that want to access the precious pollen at the heart of this magnificent flower. Happy weekend everyone!!!

For other dahlia posts please click here.

Friday Flower – Brassia orchid

~ laura lecce ~ 4 Comments
Brassia orchid – Photograph by Laura Lecce

This beautiful Brassia orchid is one of my favorites because it possess so much character. Every Spring it sends out a long flower spike with numerous colorful and fragrant flowers each with their very own unique and bold pattern (if you look close enough you will see that every splash of brown is a slightly different shape). These orchids which are mostly native to Mexico and Central America are also called spider orchids because their long thin petals resemble spider legs. If you need to be convinced – click here for my post on the St Andrews Cross spider. Have a happy weekend everyone!!!

Friday Flower – Jelly bean succulent

~ laura lecce ~ 4 Comments
Jelly bean succulent – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Succulent sedum rubrotinctum is native to Mexico and a very lovely addition to any succulent garden. It displays lovely green jelly beans along each branch for most of the year except in summer to early spring when it gets a bit more sun it will blush a delicate red. Like most succulents, each individual segment (or bean) can fall off (or be picked off) and will grow roots and a brand new succulent when it touches the soil. The branches of this succulent grow upwards towards the sun and when they become long and heavy enough they will cascade over the side of a pot. For some creative succulent photography (and provided you don’t mind sacrificing your succulent for the sake of a photo) I sprayed this succulent branch with hairspray first to give it a lovely glossy shine. Happy weekend everyone!

For other succulent posts please click here.

Friday Flower – Frangipanis in baby pink

~ laura lecce ~ 5 Comments
Frangipanis in baby pink - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Frangipanis in baby pink – Photograph by Laura Lecce

One thing I miss since moving to New York is the sweet smell of frangipanis. In Australia they grow in abundance in all but the colder cities and the flowering season goes for months. There are close to 300 different colors of frangipanis and all are incredibly beautiful. These trees make their own perfectly arranged bouquet of flowers at the end of each branch. The flowers are so soft and delicate that it feels great to stick your face and nose into them and take a deep breath of heavenly scent. Even once the flowers drop off they still look perfect and can be used as a beautiful decoration in your home by floating them in a bowl of water. Enjoy the weekend everyone!!!

Friday Flower – Desert Rose

~ laura lecce ~ 10 Comments

desert-rose

This stunning pink flower is called the dessert rose. Not only is it an impressive flower, but the plant itself is also very unique looking and an attractive plant to have in the garden or as a bonsai. It is native to Africa and The Middle East and is a close relative of the Frangipani and Oleander. The flowers come in various shades of pinks and reds. African hunters use the sap found in the trunk and roots to coat arrows as it contains cardiac glycosides which interfere with the contraction of heart muscle and is extremely toxic. These huge specimens that I photographed are found in the desert section of a stunning gardens in Singapore called Gardens By The Bay. Happy weekend everyone!!!

dessert-rose-plant

Flower Friday – Echinacea

~ laura lecce ~ 16 Comments
Echinacea with a Bee - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Echinacea with a Bee – Photograph by Laura Lecce

These lovely, pink, cheerful flowers are just one type of Echinacea, in which there are 9 different species. I took these photographs in the Spring of last year and on this particular day the bees were in out in overwhelming numbers. This made for some easy macro photography of these busy bees because all I had to do was point my camera at a flower and click. Echinacea may sound familiar as it is a herb said to have numerous health benefits such as cold prevention, boosting the immune system, anti-inflammatory effects, mental health improvement and many more. However, even though there are some studies which may show it is has beneficial effects, there are others which say that these effects are yet unfounded. Regardless of whether Echinacea is good for us, it is definitely beneficial to your garden to grow such happy looking flowers which encourage the bees to come and visit.

Echinacea flowers make the bees happy – Photograph by Laura Lecce

Flower Friday – Edible Dahlias

~ laura lecce ~ 5 Comments
Pink Dahlia - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Pink Dahlia – Photograph by Laura Lecce

I’ve posted some interesting facts about Dahlias on my blog previously (click here), but did you know they’re also edible? You can eat both the flowers and the tubers (bulbs/roots), with different types having different flavors and some varieties being tastier than others. Another very gorgeous and also potentially yummy addition to your garden!

Check out James Wong’s very interesting post about edible dahlias here.

Happy weekend everyone!

Flower Friday – Leonotis leonurus

~ laura lecce ~ 38 Comments
Leonotis leanurus - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Leonotis leanurus – Photograph by Laura Lecce

These photos are from the very unusual plant called leonotis leonurus (commonly called lion’s tail or wild dagga) native to South Africa. A very hardy perennial plant belonging to the mint family which is drought resistant, deer resistant and also used as an annual in colder climates. It forms unusual tubular flowers in clusters along the stem with newer clusters appearing at the top. The shape of the flowers are perfectly suited for pollination by sunbirds and hummingbirds, but also attracts butterflies and bees with sweet nectar inside the flowers. This plant has psychoactive compounds with similar effects to cannabis in that smoking dried leaves and flowers can give a mild calming effect (please do not try this on account of my blog!) Leonurine has also been found to have antioxidant, cardio-protective, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic (anti-diabetic/blood sugar lowering) properties. The unusual flowers which are commonly orange but also come in a white and yellow variety gave me some very bright and interesting photographs. Happy weekend everyone, see you in 2017!!!

Lions Tail - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Lions Tail- Photograph by Laura Lecce

Friday Flower – Epidendrum Orchid

~ laura lecce ~ 5 Comments
Epidendrum - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Epidendrum – Photograph by Laura Lecce

New York is currently in full Christmas swing, and so I thought a Christmas colored photo would be a great one for today. This photo is of an adorable type of orchid called an Epidendrum, and they come in a large range of beautiful colors. This photo is actually flipped upside down, as this plant grows its flower stems pointing directly up (instead of many other orchids which arch over) so the flowers actually appear upside down on the stems. This is an orchid which is quite hardy and can tolerate drier conditions than a lot of other orchids, so it will grow outside in Australia without much trouble at all. Happy weekend everyone!!!

For more orchid photos please click here.

Survival against all odds

~ laura lecce ~ 8 Comments
Survival against all odds - Photograph by Laura Lecce
Survival against all odds – Photograph by Laura Lecce

I came across this tiny Autumn colored tree growing in Central Park and it reminded me of a bonsai. I’ve read that the purpose of a bonsai is to evoke contemplation in the viewer. Looking at this tree, I couldn’t help but think how amazing it is that a seed managed to grow in such an unlikely place. This tree will forever have to grow against the odds, fight for the chance to survive, and I will wholeheartedly cheer it on. Why? Because I always fight for the underdog, I lend my strength to those who are overlooked, I protect people from bullies….. That is who I am!